City Council Minutes 2017 12 06 - Laserfiche WebLink

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City Council Meeting Minutes December 6, 2017 Page 3 of 20 Tell us how you would engage staff to keep morale and productivity high and help departments work together as a team Everyone wants to be part of the winning team. You need a community vision and a work plan that shows how to implement that vision; and everyone understands their role. There is already a positive atmosphere here. People do enjoy working here so coming in I would need to build on that. I would work with council on a vision and put together work plans as necessary. My role is to remind people of the importance of what we do in local government We impact people's lives every day; every activity the city does interrelates with the rest of the city. A community is as strong as its weakest link. I try to become the positive advocate to help people recognize the critical aspect of what we do every day. What creative solutions would you bring for difficult issues like the vacant Sam's site's Whole issue of sales tax new to me, Minnesota doesn't have that. Sales tax is 40% of the General Fund, so it is significant Communities exposed are those that are not paying attention to how things are changing We need to think about how can diversify and make sure you can survive on the sales tax you can expect. Focus on destination opportunities; places you can't buy on the Internet The places people assemble is important. Is there plaza opportunity for assembly activities at Sam's, is there a municipal function that could be there. You need something creative that will bring people in to the whole McCaslin Boulevard area. How would you learn the community's values and the organizational culture? Are there specific things you have teamed in your research that are approached differently in the Denver/Boulder metro area than in Minnesota? The important thing is to learn from the community and listen. The neighborhood level is where people are more engaged. Neighborhood meetings are great way to learn the personality of the community. I have been very impressed with the positive nature of those l have interacted with. l love the outdoors and the environment presented here is great for how I want to live. While out walking I talk to people, find out about them, what they like here. What questions do you have for us? As you reviewed my qualifications are there any areas you feel are strong or are of concern. Mayor Pro Tem Lipton stated there are concerns about affordable housing, sustainability both economically and environmentally here. If you don't move forward we will fall behind We are a community surrounded by the pressures of growth and are also trying to keep our community character. We don't want to be like everyone else.